Low Viewership to Blame
Description
Summary and plot
Blunt Talk is an American sitcom television show that follows the life of a British newscaster who moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of conquering the American nightly cable news. The show debuted on Starz on August 22, 2015, with the second season launched on October 2, 2016. Created by Jonathan Ames, and executive produced by Ames, Seth MacFarlane, Stephanie Davis and Tristram Shapeero, Blunt Talk hails from Media Rights Capital and Fuzzy Door Productions.
This comedy series stars Walter Blunt (Patrick Stewart) as a British TV journalist who is determined to preach proper living to the American public despite his disastrous personal life. In a classic case of a powerful man behaving badly, the series features Blunt’s recent move to L.A. with his alcoholic manservant, and the baggage of several failed marriages. In season 1 viewers are introduced to Blunt as he publicly declines into the abyss of drunk driving, consuming marijuana edibles and picking up a prostitute. The second season starts off with Walter rekindling his romance with an old flame when she comes back into town in order to examine a deep-rooted conspiracy around a very poignant environmental threat in LA.
Viewership, reviews and chances of renewal
Blunt Talk has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences — scoring a mere 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a decent 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Led by Patrick Stewart, famous for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men franchise, the all-star cast also features Jacki Weaver of Silver Linings Playbook, and Adrian Scarborough from the award-winning movie The King’s Speech.
Starz has decided to renew Blunt Talk for a second season in spite of the first ten episodes being rather disappointing ratings-wise. Not only were the numbers low, they also followed a steady downward trend throughout the freshman season, declining from 446,000 to 161,000 viewers. The network, however, apparently had faith in the British lead actor Patrick Stewart, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The second chapter picked up right where the first one left off, at 160,000 viewers, and declined again to 95,000 by the third week. It is unclear whether a third season of Blunt Talk will be commissioned, so stay tuned, and we will inform you when Starz makes any announcements.
Latest news
UPDATED December 22, 2016: Unfortunately for the fans, Starz' comedy Blunt Talk turned out to be short-lived, in spite of the hopes invested in its star, the legendary Patrick Stewart. The comedy series was canceled by the network due to unimpressive numbers. The modest ratings, which the show has been delivering, hit rock bottom of 77,000 viewers during the recent series finale on December 11, 2016. Thus ends Walter Blunt's windy road to becoming the star of American cable news.
Episodes
- Season 2
- Season 1
After a final confrontation with the Rudolphs, Walter must find a way to make his case to the people of Los Angeles.
Martin and Rosalie grapple with life-changing news; Walter, Harry, Celia and Jim attend a surrealist ball thrown by the nefarious Rudolphs, hoping to finally obtain a confession.
Harry and Walter discover they've been framed for murder. Walter's absence from the office leads to a giant opportunity for Shelly.
On the eve of Vivian and Moby's wedding, Walter gets caught in a private detective's scheme.
The team reaches a dead end with the Rudolphs, just as a shady figure goes digging for dirt on Walter.
Walter and the team travel to a local jail to interview Duncan Adler. Meanwhile, Jim has newfound confidence after a one-night fling.
Walter decides to chase down the head of Rudolph Global, whom he suspects of wrongdoing. Tension mounts between Harry and Walter.
After Cornelia gets into hot water, Walter vows to investigate the corruption revolving around the drought in LA. Jim is devastated when Celia asks for a break in their relationship.
Walter learns Cornelia may be risking her life while working on a drought story. Meanwhile, Jim's on-air colonoscopy goes awry.
Walter reunites with an old flame who is in the midst of investigating an important story. As Jim and Celia celebrate three months together, Rosalie adjusts to time apart from Teddy.
In the Season 1 finale, Walter makes an appointment to see an unconventional specialist, and later, causes a ruckus when he bumps a controversial guest from the show.
Walter celebrates the 33rd anniversary of the end of the Falklands War by throwing an epic bash.
A Celia blunder unfavorably thrusts Walter back into the public eye.
Walter teams up with Rosalie in a search to find her missing husband, while Jim steps up and into Walter's shoes.
A visit to Los Angeles by his estranged son prompts Walter to make peace with him; and Celia gets caught in the middle of a family drama.
A friendly poker game gets out of hand, forcing Rosalie to book a controversial guest whom Walter despises; and Celia picks up a bad habit.
Walter's attempt to be a better father to his youngest son takes a hit when news comes that his former wife is dating a rock star.
The court orders Walter to attend AA meetings while his staff entertain themselves in peculiar ways during the weekend.
Walter blows a chance to cover a storm that could give his career a shot in the arm, so his staff formulates a backup plan, while Harry considers making a big sacrifice to save Walter's career.
A comedy about an opinionated British broadcaster in Los Angeles begins with a drunken escapade landing him in jail, which leaves him scrambling to save his cable news show from cancellation.
